house resolution no.92

Reps. Kahle, Aiyash, Bollin, Breen, Brixie, Cherry, Ellison, Garza, Haadsma, Hood, Hope, Jones, Lasinski, Rogers, Shannon, Sneller, Weiss, Witwer and Young offered the following resolution:

A resolution to declare May 2021 as Huntington's Disease Awareness Month in the state of Michigan.

Whereas, Huntington's disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, leading to the deterioration of an individual's physical and mental abilities; and

Whereas, Symptoms of Huntington's disease include personality changes, mood swings, depression, forgetfulness, impaired judgment, unsteady gait, involuntary movements, slurred speech, swallowing difficulties and significant weight loss; and

Whereas, Symptoms usually first appear in individuals between 30 and 50 years of age and worsen over a 10-year to 25-year period; and

Whereas, The Huntington's Disease Society of America estimates that there are approximately 41,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 are at risk of inheriting the faulty gene that causes the disease; and

Whereas, Huntington's disease is known as the quintessential family disease because every child of a parent with Huntington's disease has a 50% chance of carrying the faulty gene and developing the disease; and

Whereas, Huntington's disease slowly diminishes the affected individual's ability to walk, think, talk and reason, eventually rendering the individual totally dependent upon others for his or her care; and

Whereas, While medications can alleviate some of the symptoms, no treatment is available to alter the course of Huntington's disease; and

Whereas, Huntington's disease profoundly affects the lives of entire families emotionally, socially, and economically; and

Whereas, Lack of knowledge about Huntington's disease may keep friends and neighbors from offering social and emotional support to the family, fostering unnecessary isolation; and

Whereas, Researchers identified the gene that causes Huntington's disease in 1993 and have continued to develop treatments in the hope of ultimately finding a cure; and

Whereas, The Huntington's Disease Society of America is dedicated to improving the lives of all individuals affected by Huntington's disease and has created a network of support through education, advocacy and outreach; and

Whereas, There is still a need for greater public awareness of Huntington's disease and more activity at the national, state and local levels to support affected individuals as well as their families and caregivers; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare May 2021 as Huntington's Disease Awareness Month in the state of Michigan.